Canadian hitmaker Bryan Adams Tuesday landed at Baltimore’s CFG Bank Arena for the launch of the So Happy It Hurts tour, which will hit US arenas through August with Joan Jett & The Blackhearts serving as exceptional openers, USA Today reports.
Adams, 63, and his taut four-piece band, including longtime guitarist Keith Scott and drummer Mickey Curry, the outlet writes, began their world voyage in January 2022 with a spate of dates in Asia and Europe. The muscularity that comes with consistent performing was evident in a 100-minute, 23-song set stocked with well-worn chestnuts and a few nods to newer fare, according to the report.
The US leg of the So Happy It Hurts tour, named after his 2022 album, was an opportunity for Bryan Adams to remind his fans about ‘the great Tina Turner’.
Clad in a casual uniform of dark pants and sneakers, Adams roamed the open stage while playing guitar, frequently hopping down to a platform that sported microphone stands at each end to hit every segment of the arena.
Whether rolling through the joyfully swinging “Can’t Stop This Thing We Started” or leading the crowd that filled the lower bowl and floor of the venue through fist-pumper “Somebody,” Adams proved that songs he tailored for arenas decades ago still resound with a melodic punch.
While guitar crunchers “It’s Only Love” – recorded, he reminded, with “the great Tina Turner” – and “The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me is You” rattled appropriately, Adams is also regarded as a bit of a ballad king, and he didn’t disappoint those enamoured with his softer contributions.
“Please Forgive Me” and “Here I Am” drew modest cheers, but the indelible piano opening from Gary Breit on “Heaven” prompted an immediate singalong of the first verse. Though Adams happily obliged the crowd their karaoke moment, his own voice soared with its trademark warm gruffness.
Song after song, Adams proved that his catalogue is unquestionably durable.
But there was more to come from Joan Jett & The Blackhearts whose hour-long performance showed the 64-year-old singer still possesses plenty of bite.
